The invention relates generally to the field of cameras, and in particular a dual film image and electronic image capture camera capable of combining captured electronic images in a single multi- (index-) image.
Recently, a dual image capture (or hybrid) camera has been proposed for substantially simultaneously capturing a film image of a subject being photographed and an electronic image of the subject. The camera includes a film image capture or taking lens, an electronic image capture lens, and an image display that shows a captured electronic image of a subject which corresponds to a captured film image of the subject. The displayed electronic image permits one to verify they got the captured film image they Wanted. See prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,381 issued Apr. 25, 2000, which is incorporated in this application.
The cross-referenced application Ser. No. 09/499,812, entitled CAMERA THAT RECORDS PRINT QUANTITY DESIGNATION ON FILM FOR EACH EXPOSURE, AND HAS PRINT QUANTITY TOTALING discloses a dual image capture camera for capturing successive film images on a filmstrip and for capturing successive electronic images that correspond to the respective film images, in which a print quantity selector can be manually operated to provide various print quantity designations of the number of prints to be made for each one of the film images. A film drive motor for unwinding an unexposed film length from a film cartridge and rewinding the exposed film length with captured film images into the film cartridge is actuated to rewind the exposed film length into the film cartridge a first time, then to unwind the exposed film length from the film cartridge, and finally to rewind the exposed film length into the film cartridge a second time. The print quantity designations are magnetically recorded on the exposed film length as it is unwound from the film cartridge.
The cross-referenced application Ser. No. 09/494,012, entitled DUAL FILM EXPOSURE, ELECTRONIC EXPOSURE CAMERA WITH ELECTRONIC INFORMATION EDITING AFTER EACH EXPO AND INFORMATION RECORDING ON FILM AFTER COMPLETED EXPOSURE discloses a dual image capture camera for capturing successive film images on a filmstrip and for capturing successive electronic images that correspond to the respective film images, in which electronic information pertaining to the respective film images can be edited after each substantially simultaneous film and electronic image capture. The information is magnetically recorded on the exposed film length with captured film images when it is unwound from the film cartridge as in the cross-referenced application Ser. No. 09/499,812, entitled CAMERA THAT RECORDS PRINT QUANTITY DESIGNATION ON FILM FOR EACH EXPOSURE, AND HAS PRINT QUANTITY TOTALING.
According to one aspect of the invention, a dual image capture camera for capturing successive film images on a filmstrip and for capturing successive electronic images that correspond to the respective film images, including a memory that stores captured electronic images and a film drive motor that is actuated to rewind an exposed film length with the respective film images into a film cartridge, is characterized in that:
the memory is connected to the film drive motor to store captured electronic images as a single multi-image composed of the successive electronic images when the exposed film length with the respective film images is rewound into the film cartridge.
According to another aspect of the invention, a dual image capture camera for capturing successive film images on a filmstrip and for capturing successive electronic images that correspond to the respective film images, including a memory that stores captured electronic images, is characterized in that:
a print quantity selector is capable of being manually operated to provide various print quantity designations of how many prints are to be made for the respective film images, including the designation that no print is to be made for a particular film image; and
the memory is connected to the print quantity selector to store captured electronic images as a single multi-image which combines only those electronic images for which the designated number of prints is at least xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d.